Chlorine Tainted Dreams
by RockDiva
Summary: Mary Margaret is smart, sassy and seemingly independent. Lance, the lifeguard, is on the shallow end of the pool. Is it true that opposites can attract? MM and Lance pairing. CHAPTER TWO FINALLY UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note- ** I do not claim ownership of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, any of it's characters or anything else related. And for those of you who know me from my M/E stories, don't despair! I haven't abandoned Maddie and Esteban, I am simply branching out to cover my other favorite characters. The chemistry of this pairing may seem non-existent...pretty much because it is non-existent on the show and I'm making up stories to back up what is just simply what I find to be a cute couple that will probably never happen seeing as they aren't main characters. Also, sorry for the lack of catchy chapter titles at this moment.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Mary-Margaret was a girl of virtue. Despite her sassiness and headstrong attitude, she had a conviction that couldn't be missed. And that's why she still didn't have a date for the upcoming senior prom. Mary-Margaret didn't want to just "settle" for some guy as a date. And it wasn't likely that her hopes for LeBron James would ever be fulfilled.

"I need to find a man who can support me, respect me, and treat me like the strong and talented woman I am," she said at the lunch table one day when she, Maddie, London, and Corrie were discussing the prom.

"Please. If you can find a man like that, every other girl in Boston would be clawing your eyes out for him," Maddie joked.

"That _is _true," Corrie added more seriously.

"Besides," I can't be the only one who doesn't have a date yet," she stared down her friends until they finally cracked.

"Okay, so I don't exactly have a date," Maddie confessed. "But I do have a few guys in mind. I just haven't decided yet," the truth was that the real person she wanted to ask was currently out of the question.

"I'm still waiting for an answer from Ryan Evans. He doesn't know if he can make it back out here," Corrie sighed, but her voice was its ever-peppy self. "I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since him and his sister Sharpay moved."

"8th grade," Maddie nodded her head. "Oh well. I miss Ryan, but Sharpay and I never really got along. She was a lot like you London."

"Rich?"

"No, stuck on herself."

"I'm not stuck to anything," London said confused.

"At least Sharpay was smarter," Mary-Margaret said sarcastically. "So what about _your _date, London? Who is he?"

"Promise not to tell?" they all shook their heads "yes". "I'm going with Todd St. Mark."

Maddie was the only one who gasped. The other two just traded blank glances between one another. "How did you manage that?" Maddie asked. "I thought he was in Zurich. And how'd you 2 get your fathers' permission?"

"That's why it's a secret. Our fathers don't know."

"Uh, hi! Would anyone like to fill us in?" Mary-Margaret didn't like being out of the loop.

"It's kind of like a Romeo and Juliet thing. Todd's the son of the rival hotel owner across the street from the Tipton," Maddie explained.

"And our fathers forbid us from seeing each other. That's why they can't know about this."

"Good luck with that," Maddie really did mean it.

"So, you see. I'm not the only one having date troubles," Mary-Margaret was glad to have made a point because now they couldn't harass her. Although, she couldn't help but realize the crucial difference between her and her friends: they all had guys in mind, while she had no one.

* * *

"Prom is a month away. Some of you here may think that this is more than plenty of time. But not if we're reaching for the best senior prom ever. There are still too many loose ends for me to feel comfortable," Mary-Margaret was chairman of the prom committee, but acted more like a dictator when it came to details. 

"I have some good news," Maddie, who was the committee's treasurer, said. "Because London is using her influential social status to get us a great place for free, that gives us more money to splurge on another area of the budget."

"Well, my older cousin owns a party shop, and he's agreed to give us all the decorations we need for a discount," Corrie spoke up. "So we don't really need any extra money for that."

"So really that just leaves music and catering," someone said.

"Let's take a vote," Mary-Margaret proposed. "All in favor of adding the money to the music budget raise your hands." She counted the hands that went up. "Okay, now all in favor of adding it to the catering budget," everyone else raised their hands. "And my vote is for the catering too, so now we're at a deadlock."

"Wait, I was sure your vote would be for the music," Maddie stared at her strangely.

"Not again," Mary-Margaret answered. "I've given up trying to get just the right band for the prom. Ever since the Maroon5 incident, we've just never had any luck." She stared at London, who hung her head a little. "First, Maroon5 our freshman year. B5 our sophomore year. And then Click5 last year. They just never show."

"It's not my fault," London protested. "Groups that end with 5 are just hard to work with."

"More like in high demand. That's why this year, I just want a local group who's jammin' enough to rock the house without any problems or last minute cancellations," Mary-Margaret insisted.

"That's a good point. I think I'll change my vote to catering," Maddie said. Suddenly a thought occurred to her as she watched Lance, the lifeguard, enter the Tipton. "I think I know a band! And you won't have to worry about any 5's," Maddie smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note- **I didn't think that I'd get back to this one, but was reading through it and just had to finish!! And the reappearance of Lance in a few episodes this season fueled my fire even more. So here it goes...

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"You are, You are the only one that I'm thinkin' of. My heart, my heart is beating at the very thought of you," Maddie sang lead for the band WaterWorks. As the music continued, it was obvious that the band had come a long way since beginning a few years earlier. The music was still vibrant with a youthful sound that was bordering on pop/contemporary, but now there was more of a raw edge. The instruments took more importance than before and Maddie's ever-maturing personality carried into her vocals. "You," Maddie gave the last word of the song almost a but of a girly punk rock whine.

"That was fantastic!" Mary-Margaret exclaimed. "I knew you guys had a band but wow! So will you do it?"

"It's up to Lance," Maddie answered. "He is the band leader."

While the others worked on putting the equipment away, Mary-Margaret pulled Lance aside and undertook the task of explaining the situation to him. "So will you do it?"

"Does your gym have a pool?" Lance asked.

"No," she sighed, knowing already from hearsay that Lance was obsessed with water.

"Bummer. Gyms with pools are awesome. You know, your name reminds me of candy."

"Candy? How does Mary-Margaret make you think of candy?" she was slightly confused.

"The two m's. You know, those candies that melt in your mouth or something like that," Lance tried hard to explain.

"But not in your hands! I love M&M's!"

"Yeah, M&M's. The two "m's" in your name makes me think of M&M's. Only, like, without the "&". So I guess it's just mm."

"I get what you're saying," Mary-Margaret was usually a very logical girl and the idea of her name being like candy was almost ridiculous, but she knew that Lance meant it as a compliment and so she found it strangely flattering. "M-M. I like it. Fresh, kinda hip-hop, and definitely unique."

"Cool!" Lance was simple-minded but still enjoyed saying things that impressed others. "So can I call you that?"

"Sure, why not. I've always wanted a nickname." _M-M and LeBron_ she imagined the names together, rather liking the ring it had to it.

"So, is WaterWorks gonna be the prom band?" Maddie's question interrupted Mary-Margaret's thoughts.

"I think we should," Lance answered, however, her added, "but do I have to wear a tux?"

The two girls laughed. "Only if you end up being someone's date," Mary-Margaret responded.

"Good. Last time I rented a tux for mine and Maddie's almost wedding, the tux shop was harsh when I tried to get my money back."

"Your almost-wedding?" Mary-Margaret looked at Maddie.

"I didn't tell you about that? Oh well, trust me, you don't want to know," Maddie replied. But to her surprise, Mary-Margaret couldn't help but feel like she _did_ want to know.

* * *

"Hey, Maddie," Mary-Margaret said entering the lobby. 

"Oh, hey! I'm almost done with my shift so we can hit the books here in a few." Maddie then gave a look of confusion. "Where's Corrie?"

"She ran into London at the mall, so she called and said she couldn't make it. I guess they're both too busy studying the latest sales," she finished sarcastically.

"I'll be surprised if London even graduates. Oh, well. At least we won't have them distracting us." Maddie imitated London and Corrie, "'I thought Pi divided by2 equals 2 pieces of pie.' 'Ooh! I love pie too!'" She suddenly realized that Mary-Margaret wasn't paying attention to her. "Okay so maybe one of us will still be distracted. What are you looking at?" Maddie followed her friend's gaze to where Lance stood talking to a couple of people. "Is there a reason you're staring at Lance?"

Before Mary-Margaret could answer, Lance made his way over to the candy counter. "A package of spearmint please. Oh her, M-M. How's things floatin' for you?"

"I'm fine. You?" Her voice wasn't its usual confident self.

"I'm great. I'm getting ready to test the pH balance of the chlorine in the pool."

"Oh, yeah, because too much acid or base…"

"Totally messes with the skin," Lance finished Mary-Margaret's sentence.

"Exactly! I messed up a chemistry experiment once. My hands were super-dry for a month."

"Whoa, killer! I'm glad that didn't happen to me. I aced chemistry. By the way," Lance turned to Maddie, "I changed some chords in our new songs, so the band needs to practice soon." He turned back to Mary-Margaret. "You should come too. It'd be cool."

"I'd love to," she said as he walked away.

Maddie stared in disbelief for a few seconds. "Okay, 1, I'm surprised that that boy knows what chemistry let alone aced it and 2, you like him!"

"Wait a second! 1, the guy's responsible for taking care of the pool…I hope he knows his chemistry. And 2, no I don't!"

"You let him finish your sentence, he has a nickname for you, and since when does talking about the pH balance in a pool interest you? Take it from a girl who used to like him….you _do_ like him!"

"Maddie, please. I can't help it if he knew what I was gonna say. And the nickname is a tolerable friendly gesture. As for the pH balance, you know I want to study the field of biochemistry and its effect on ecology when I go to college."

"Yeah, but…okay, you win. Let's just get to studying," Maddie forfeited the battle for now, as they walked towards the elevator.

* * *

"For the last time, I can't do it!" Maddie began to get frustrated. "I know that this arrangement sounds better, but I just can't hit all of those notes at the same time. It's physically impossible." 

"Alright, we'll just go back to how we had it before," it was obvious that Lance was less than enthusiastic. He had been so excited about coming up with an arrangement that he thought sounded like a professional band.

"Wait. It's too good to give up on," Mary-Margaret wanted to have a say on the matter.

"What do you suggest I do?" Maddie couldn't understand her friend's reasoning. "We've already established that I can't do it."

"Just hear me out. What if you guys think about getting another singer?"

"Whoa, M-M! That's an awesome idea," Lance agreed immediately.

"Hey! I can't believe you could even suggest replacing me!" Maddie looked at Mary-Margaret in astonishment and then turned and looked at Lance, "And you're agreeing with her!"

"Chill out, Miss Diva! I didn't mean the band should replace you. I mean you should _add _another singer. You know, someone to sing the harmonies," Mary-Margaret was surpised she even had to explain herself.

"Oh," Maddie couldn't mask her embarrassment. "That does sound like a good idea. We could hold auditions."

"What about M-M here?" Lance looked at Mary-Margaret/ "Why don't you give it a try?"

"Oh, I-uh…" Mary-Margaret was thrown off guard. "I don't sing."

"Really? You just seemed like someone who could sing to me," Lance aid with somewhat of a confused daze.

"And you seem like someone who's smarter than he likes to let on…" Mary-Margaret's comeback silenced Lance.

"And you can't judge a book by its cover, yada yada. Can we get back to the band's problem of finding another singer? We only have 3 more weeks to find someone, teach them our songs, and get good enough to blow everyone away at the prom," Maddie sounded annoyed. No one could have possibly guessed that it was because Esteban had just joined them in the lounge to watch them rehearse while on his break. It was a fact that caused Maddie to feel uncomfortably self-conscious. Instead they took her words harshly.

"Is someone tweaked about sharing the spotlight," Mary-Margaret only meant it as a tiny joke.

"Ha-Ha. I'm just stressed about finding a date for the prom. Every time I think I've picked someone, I change my mind."

"Oh, then I know how you feel. I'm still solo too." Mary-Margaret dismissed Maddie's previous sharp tone and sympathized with her.

"That's right! You _don't_ have a date yet." An idea formed in Maddie's head, changing her mood almost instantly. "Maybe we should…" she pretended to just notice Esteban. "I almost forgot. You said earlier that you wanted to speak to me didn't you?"

Esteban had heard the entire conversation and, knowing by heart how Maddie's brain worked, played along. "Yes. That's why I came looking for you. It's kind of personal, so do you mind…" he glanced at Lance and Mary-Margaret.

"Oh, um, okay. I'll see you guys later okay," Maddie and Esteban made a very convincing and seemingly innocent exit.

Without missing a beat, Mary-Margaret went back to the subject of the banc, "So we'll -I mean you'll- need to put an ad in the paper."

Lance had heard her use of the word "we" and wanted to encourage it," I could use your help. Truth is, I've never put an ad in the paper before."

"It's easy. I've done it lots of times. In fact, why don't I just go ahead and do it for you. You can just come up with what you want it to say real quick and I'll…"

"I can't right now. I go on duty in like 5 minutes," Lance said.

"But I don't know what qualifications to put down or anything."

"I have an idea. I'm on duty til 5:30. Maybe we can grab some dinner tonight and come up with the ad then?"

The question caused Mary-Margaret's heart to flutter just a little. "Sure," she answered. "It sounds like a good idea to me."

"Yay! My plan worked," Maddie said as she and Esteban watched and listened from a safe distance. "Now maybe Mary-Margaret will end up with a date for the prom."

"Speaking of dates," Esteban mustered up the boldness to continue, "how come you say you haven't asked anyone yet?"

Maddie's answer was just as bold, "Because on prom night, every girl wants to feel like a princess. So I guess I'm still waiting for the right prince." She looked back at Mary-Margaret. "Maybe she'll be able to find _her _prince tonight."


End file.
